Distributed circuit switching starnet
Chuan-lin Wu, Woei Lin, Min-Chang Lin · Proceedings of the International Conference on Parallel Processing · 1982
Starnet is a communication subnet which can cost-effectively connect hundreds or thousands of processors for distributed processing. It uses distributed control and circuit switching. Starnet's communication medium includes two major components: a multistage interconnection network and a set of interface units. The interconnection network uses a destination routing scheme with no central control. The interface unit provides handshaking between the computer/data node and the interconnection network under the control of a microprocessor. Detailed design of the communication medium is described. A model for comparing cost-effectiveness among starnet, crossbar and multiple buses is included. 7 references.